The 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (after the cancellation of

1940s File:1940s decade montage.png, Above title bar: events during World War II (1939–1945): From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching Omaha Beach on D-Day; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Ho ...

V Olympic Winter Games) (Italian: ''V Giochi olimpici invernali''), were to have been celebrated in February 1944 in Cortina d'Ampezzo,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Cortina d'Ampezzo had been awarded the games in June 1939, but with the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the 1944 Winter Olympics were cancelled in 1941. The V Olympic Winter Games eventually took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 1948; Cortina d'Ampezzo eventually hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and will co-host the

2026 Winter Olympics ) , nations = , athletes = , events = 116 in 8 sports , opening = 6 February 2026 , closing = 22 February 2026 , opened_by = , cauldron = , stadium = San Siro Verona Arena , wint ...

with

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

See also